Rusted Dreams
by Nightmare Actual
Summary: "History is written by the victors."- Winston Churchill. In the aftermath of the Victory of the Solar Empire over the world, Johnathan West tries to find his way. But between being hunted by the Empire, and haunted by the shadows, he is forced to flee to the realm of Equestrian to find sanctuary. However, can he escape his own past?
1. Chapter 1

Rusted Dreams

By Nightmare Actual

The airship whistled one last time, signaling its immediate departure. He sighed, handing his ticket to the Captain. The man looked at the slip of paper, and nodded in approval. He took one last look at the wasteland he had called home for so many years, a land that was scarred by war and revolution, and littered with the ruins of the old world. The skies were a light tan, the air polluted with the ash of hundreds cities clouding the light from the heavens above. The wind whipped and tore at the remains of Cincinnati, sending up small dust storms amongst the skyline. The river was a dark brown, brimming with debris from bridges and boats alike.

"Sir, it's time to go." The Captain's voice brought him back to the grim outcome he called reality. He nodded, and walked to his room. The ship itself, while new in its current form, was still worn from air corrosion. Relying on the Steam powered turbines, it looked similar to the frigates of old, the main difference being the large zeppelin like balloon holding it up in the air. He laughed at the irony of it all. No one would have guessed that this would be humanity's future, and he found it all humorous, though bitter. However, the rise of the Solar Empire changed a lot.

He walked down below decks, and quickly found his room. The door looked old, fitting the general look of the vessel nicely. He opened it, and saw the room inside. While it wasn't much, it was certainly nicer than he had been staying in as of late. He stowed his gear in a chest at the foot of the bed. He hadn't brought much, just some money, his weapons, and his clothes. He was thankful for the black duster he had been issued during the war. While his typical living conditions were often bleak at best, the durable coat had helped make it all bearable. He also still had his dog tags. He had decided against ditching them, even though they marked him as an enemy of the state.

He glanced out the window as they approached the rift, the soft blue glow tinting the room blue. Supposedly paradise was on the other side, according to the rumors he had been told. Rumors of a strange land, one untouched by the flames of war. He sighed, and walked back to the bed. He hadn't slept for a while, and knew that now was most likely the best time to do so. He fell on top of the bed, his exhaustion overtaking him. Darkness slowly closed around his vision, and he left it take him.

The truck behind him exploded, showering the surrounding area with bits of flaming debris. He ducked down as enemy soldiers moved up, getting into firing positions. He popped back up briefly and fired, dropping two Solars with just as many rounds. A rocket tore past him, and slammed into a Humvee, causing it to burst into a fiery inferno. He fell down back into cover, grabbing his thigh. While it wasn't serious, he had been cut by a flying piece of shrapnel. He cursed, and fired back at the advancing Solars, killing one of their officers. He saw a blur of movement next to him, and turned to see Fred getting down next to him, reloading his rifle.

"These fuckers just don't know when to quit." Fred spoke, as he finished and fired again at the enemy position.

"Well, the Solar Empire didn't exactly get here with their smarts." He replied, causing Fred to laugh.

"Fair enough. Still, you think they would know that this front is a meat grinder for them." Fred stated, somewhat sad at the death around them.

"Not sure if they actually care." He replied, nodding in agreement with Fred's mood. "At this rate they will win, eventually."

"So are we going to sit here and fight to the end? Or pull back?" Fred asked.

"Neither. It's too hot to pull back, and sitting here means we will lose anyway." He replied simply. "Leaving one option."

"Attack." They both said at the same time. Fred smiled, a look of determination taking hold. "Well, if we are going to die, might as do so on their lines instead of these blasted holes."

"This is Colonel West. All units push the enemy back past FDR drive, and try to get firing points on the Williamsburg Bridge." West spoke. An enemy helo flew in past a damaged office building, and started lighting up his force's positions. He dove out of the line of fire, narrowly avoiding a rocket. The device exploded, filling his world with the deafening sound of the impact, and the blinding light of the explosion.


	2. Chapter 2

He jolted up, sweating slightly. He looked around the room, scanning it for anything out of the ordinary. He noticed the red glow, and he looked down at his hip. He pulled out the worn energy pistol, and examined it. It was a CX-11, one of the old military standards. While it was similar in shape and weight to the classic desert eagle, it had red lighting running along the barrel. He deactivated the trusted side arm, and sighed. He must have turned it on in his sleep. He got out of bed, and stretched his body. He figured that he would have a couple more hours before they reached their destination, so he pulled out his rifle, and began cleaning it. It was an M4A4, and while he had been carrying it since the beginning of the war, he had kept it in top condition.

As he cleaned the carbine, his thoughts drifted to his surroundings. He could hear two distinct noises, the creak of the aged vessel and the steady hum of the Steam engine. He laughed to himself, remembering how skeptical he had been when he had been informed of Steam. Apparently at some point in the war, a large amount of magical energy had been released into the environment. He suspected that it might have happened during the second campaign for Atlanta, but no one ever confirmed it. Effectively, most water sources now had a large amount of energy, allowing Steam powered machines to last far longer than most other power sources. The Solar Empire had taken control of most of the companies that were designing and manufacturing Steam devices, but a few hold outs were keeping the prices low enough for the resistance back home.

It occurred to him that his duster was going to mark him as a Ranger, and given that the home he had fought to protect it was likely that those who recognized the outfit would try to turn him in. While it would have been smart to ditch the worn duster, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of it. While it was tattered, and had many holes which had been repaired, he still valued it more than his rifle. Each tear was a memento to a battlefield, every fixed hole a small memorial to the men and women who he had fought alongside. He would die before he gave in his duster, though he didn't plan on just letting the Solar Empire put him in that position.

By the time he finished cleaning his gear, it was morning. It didn't take him long to pack, seeing how light he was traveling. As the vessel got closer to his destination, Gateway, he made sure to keep an eye on the other passengers. He didn't plan on traveling all the way out to this new world only to end his life as someone's bounty. He glanced at the town, and smiled. While the town was only a couple years old, it already had mostly covered the mountain it was on. The citizens had made a deal with the local government, Equestria. He thought it was a strange name, but then again he supposed that it fit in given the local population. He noticed a large castle city on a distant mountain, and decided that he should make his way there. It looked like a place of importance, and he could probably get transportation to nearly anywhere from there. He planned to drop off the grid, and hoped the Solar Empire would waste their resources hunting for him.

The ship shook a little as it landed in the harbor, and he got off the ship. As he walked through the crowd, he heard a distant boom. He turned and looked to the sky, expecting to see a fighter plane, or something man made. To his surprise, he didn't see anything of the sort. He wondered if it was worth looking into, but threw it aside. He needed to get some food, and a bearing as to his location.

He looked around for a vendor, and quickly found one. He walked in, and gathered some general supplies. As he was paying for the goods he had gathered, the store clerk tried to sell him a Technicolor apple.

"What is this?" He asked, curious about the fruit before him. He almost thought it was mutated, or something. He then remember that this world had much brighter colors, so the apple was likely extremely common here.

"The locals call them Zap apples. They are extremely filling, and are full of most of we need. Protein, calcium, carbohydrates, you name it. A person could live off of these things, provided you can stand only eating apples." He considered the offer, and decided it couldn't hurt. Having some of the local foods would likely help him build a cover.

"Okay. So, thirty dollars altogether?" The store clerk shook her head.

"Sorry, but I can let a Ranger pay for food." He looked up, surprised.

"How did you…" She cut him off.

"I know a Ranger when I see one. " She smiled. "56th air cavalry. You?"

"42nd." He replied solemnly. Her smiled faded as she took in the implications, her face paling taking in the full meaning of the statement.

"You guys went through hell. Twice. And you still held the line to get the rest of us out." He nodded.

"Well, none of us really felt keen on dying. Besides, who else was going to keep those damn Solars at bay?" He replied with a slight smirk. The store clerk nodded, and handed him a small leather bag. He took it, and looked inside. He was surprised to see gold coins, and began to say he couldn't take them.

"No, it's the least I can do. You guys made it so the rest of us could regroup and push the Solars back. This is the Equestrian currency. They're called bits, and yes they are real gold. Not worth as much as an apple here, but this should get you by for a few days. I have a friend over in a small town called Ponyville, and she's looking for farm hands. She supplies the Zap Apples, and pays a fair amount for help. If you're here looking for work, I could put in a good word for you." He considered the offer.

"I'll look into it, after I finish some business." The clerk nodded, and sent him on his way.

He spent the rest of the day avoiding the guards, and waiting for his train. Fortunately, the only way to most of the other rail connections in this region was through the castle city in the distance. He paid for a ticket, and had been staying somewhat close to the station. As his train came in, he quickly made his way to the train. As he handed his ticket to the conductor, he looked back and saw Solar guards looking for him. He smiled, knowing they wouldn't be able to catch him at this point. He walked onto the train, and looked for a seat.

He found a seat, and smiled once the trained started moving. He watched the station slide by, and leaned back in his seat once the train was up to full speed. He noticed that the car was occupied, and he got his first glance at the locals. They appeared to be small horses, though they had varying appearances. There were six, each being unique from the others. There were two 'normal' ones, though he couldn't exactly say that pink was a normal, due to the high speed of her speech. He had issues following what she said, and decided to move his attention to the rest of the group. There were two unicorns, and while he found that interesting, it was the pegasi that held his attention. One of them was hovering, its wings holding it up with ease. The other one, a yellow pony with pink hair, was talking with the rest of the group, and pulled something out of her bag using her wings. He was fascinated with the wings dexterity, and he wondered if their bones were hollow like birds.

He sighed, and returned his focus to the world outside the window. He could tell from their voices that they were all female, and excited about something. As the sunlight faded, he decided to try to get some sleep.

He stalked the shadows, passing by several enemy squads. They didn't notice him, allowing him to close on his objective. The rest of the 42nd was holding up in the suburbs outside Pittsburg, not wanting to engage the Solar forces quite yet, due to the large amount of civilians still in the area. He made it to the crash site, though he couldn't see what had made the crater due to the thick fog in the hole. He jumped down into it, and saw something glowing in the mist. He leaned down to grab it…

He jolted awake as the train hit a couple bumps. He sighed in relief, glad that it was nothing serious. He looked around, and noticed that the blue Pegasus was looking at him strangely. It unnerved him slightly, though he couldn't place why. She looked him over, like a cop would a potential criminal. She moved towards the purple unicorn, and said something he couldn't hear. He felt his left arm twitch a bit as adrenaline started rushing through his veins, and he began looking for ways out of the train car. The entire group of ponies was now whispering, setting off every alarm his years of training and experience had given him. The train was slowing, and he saw that they had reached his stop. He got up, and walked casually towards the exit. He heard them following, and he knew he would have to lose them somehow.

He quickly examined the station as he stepped onto the platform. Due to the late hour, the crowd was sparse at best. He started walking a little faster, decided that he should try to lose them in the alleys of this city. He moved silently through the night, almost a shadow under the moon light. He glanced behind him, spotting the six mares behind him. He sighed.

"Fuck my life." He said flatly, as he turned swiftly and darted towards a nearby alley. His sudden sprint caught the group off guard, but the blue Pegasus flapped her wings and was closing on him. He made repeated turns, and somewhat negated the pegasus's speed advantage. He saw a stack of crates, and ran up them. He made it up to the roof, and ran across the roof tops with expert skill. He had learned during the war the usefulness of parkour, mainly to avoid enemy patrols.

The pegasus was closing on him, meaning he was rapidly running out of options. He ducked down, letting his pursuer blast past him. He slid down to the ground, and darted for a particularly dark shadow. He saw the group together by a fountain, and decided to listen in on their conversation.

"It looks like it's gone." The blue one nodded.

"I know! I almost had it too." The purple one nodded in agreement with the blue one's statement, and appeared to be deep in thought.

"We need to tell the Princesses about this. Whatever that was, it could be a threat." The yellow mare was more timid than the rest of her friends.

"Maybe it was just a human…" Her voice trailed off for a bit. "How do we know its evil?"

The other unicorn laughed slightly. "Darling, while I am glad that you are optimistic, it did run away from us. And it escaped Rainbow Dash. Whatever it did, it cannot be good." Her voice was much more aristocratic, though not completely self-consumed. "Besides, you know how dangerous humans can be."

"Doesn't give you the right to pursue me through the town at the dead of night." He spoke up, startling them. He slowly walked out of the shadows, M4 at the ready and aimed at them. He had the safety on, but they didn't know that. The yellow pegasus ducked behind the Dash, obviously scared. Dash got over her surprise quickly.

"So, are you a changeling spy?" She asked, appearing ready for a fight. He had to give her credit, she was brave, although a bit foolhardy.

"Is that really why you were after me, because you thought I was a spy?" He didn't sound convinced.

"No, its because you have been touched by darkness." The purple mare replied, which confused him. They saw his confusion, and relaxed a bit. He was about to speak again when he heard something. He pivoted, aiming his carbine at a nearby shadow. He saw a familiar pair of pale blue eyes, and felt a slight chill run down his back.

"You need to run." He said calmly, knowing who he was facing. He had no fear of this foe, and was ready to fight. He waited for it to make a move, the street silent as the two held their ground. Just when it seemed that the attacker would strike, it faded back into the shadow.

He sighed, knowing what this meant. He had hoped that he could escape this foe by coming to this world, but now he saw that it would follow him no matter where he went. He would have to find somewhere isolated, and fast. He knew what kind of collateral damage this thing could cause, and he didn't want innocent lives lost because of his fight.

"It…It ran away?" The purple unicorn started, confused.

"Looks like it." He replied, relaxing.

"Why?" The unicorn continued, clearly confused.

"I'm sure it has its reasons." He stated. He needed to leave, before anyone got hurt. He doubted anyone here could help him, anyhow. The group was still wary of him, obviously unsure of his motives.

"So, where are you heading?" The purple mare asked curiously.

He thought about his answer. While he hated giving vague responses, he didn't want them to come after him at a later date. He had been planning on melting into a distant town, to avoid the Solars. However, the reappearance of his enemy made it clear that he couldn't find a new place to live, lest the monster burn his new home.

"Away." He replied, trying to think of a new plan. The gaps he moved through were getting smaller. On one side, the Solar empire hunted him, and on the other that nightmare pursued him. He was running out of margin to hide in.

"Perhaps you should come with us." The unicorn offered. "Maybe we can help."

"Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea." He sighed, looking back on his life for a moment. Everywhere he went good people seemed to die around him.

"Don't worry, the Princesses will know what to do." The unicorn replied, clearly confident in her statement.

His face paled a bit, and he backed up. The Princesses, theses ponies' leaders, would definitely know who he was. The unicorn picked up on his apprehension, though she didn't know why he was nervous. She was about to ask him why, when a deep blue blur flew into him, and threw him down the street. It flew off into the night, cackling darkly. He felt blood leaving his body, and the world started to fade into darkness. He saw Dash rush up to him, and he tried to speak. However, darkness took him before he could say anything.


	3. Chapter 3

_He was running through the ruins, doing his best to avoid the enemy patrols. It was dark, and the rain was not helping him. Lightning flashed for a brief moment, bathing the broken city in light. Bombed out shops lined the streets, reminders of a time before the war. As he worked his way past the wrecked vehicles he saw the burnt remains of homes, and their occupants. Dull orange search lights passed along the street in front of him, forcing him to seek shelter in the remains of a coffee shop._

_The rain intensified, its roar almost over powering the sound of the drones hunting him. The ceiling groaned a bit, the increase in the rain likely putting more pressure than the structure could handle in its weakened state. The spotlights lit up the place, the entire shop clear as day. He waited every second passing like a life time. After a few more tense moments the spot light moved on, the sound of engines moving down the street. He moved, taking the opportunity to get out of the shop. He broke down the back door, and moved into the alleyway. _

_He ran down the alley, fighting against the building current. He paused at the end, checking the street before he moved into it. He ran as fast as he could, though the wind, rain, and wreckage were slowing him down. The wind picked up, almost knocking him over. The world went white, and booming roar of thunder over powered any other noise in the area. He stumbled into a store, and hid behind the counter. The ceiling had caved in slightly, like most of the buildings around here. Water poured in from the cracks, the sound of rushing water masking his breathing. Orange lights scanned the store, before moving on. He looked over the top of the counter to see four bipedal beings, all emitting a strange orange mist and yellowish glow. He heard a strange clicking, and assumed that they were machines. It would fit right into the Discordians strategy. They always liked sending in emotionless machines to hunt down prey. He watched the machines move down the street, likely under the impression that their quarry was somewhere in between their forces. He smiled, knowing that he had made it past their first lines. If he continued to slip past their forces, he would be able to regroup with whatever was left of his forces. If anyone was left._

_Lightning flashed once again, covering the world in light._

He woke up and groaned, his entire body echoing in pain. Though the bright light wasn't exactly helping either. He looked up, and saw that his chest had been bandaged. His duster, bag, and the rest of his gear were over on a table on the far side of the room. He looked around further, noting how light the room was. Judging by the sun light coming in from the window, it was mid-morning. The room itself had pinkish walls, though there was a lot of white mixed in in various places. He leaned up, and felt a familiar weight move on his chest. He put a hand to his dog tags, and moved them aside to examine the small pendant he carried around. It was a small white cloud, with tri colored lightning bolt coming out of the bottom. He had acquired it early on into the Solar Empire's advance on the East Coast, and had guarded it with his life. He slid it back between his dog tags, not wanting whoever had helped him to learn his identity. Not yet anyhow. He got up and redressed, taking care not to wound himself further.

As he finished the door opened up, and two large alicorns walked into the room. The first one was white with a multicolored mane. Her appearance definitely caught one's eye first, but his attention soon fell upon the second one.

She had a dark blue coat, and her mane was a lighter shade of blue. However, as he looked at it, he saw that is was far more complex. He could make out small dots of light, and he realized that they were likely stars. Her tail was similar, and he was somewhat stunned by the complexity of the star patterns in her mane and tail.

Two guard pegasi walked in behind the alicorns, and took positions on either side of the door. After that, the group of six ponies he had encountered the night before walked in, though they seemed a bit nervous. He noticed the crowns that the pair of alicorns were wearing, and figured that the six were more nervous of royalty than him. He sighed internally, knowing that this was the outcome he had been trying to avoid.

"Hello. My name is Princess Celestia," the larger alicorn started. He nodded, respectfully. That said, he did not bow or show any other sign of her position. While he understood the kind of respect many royal's expected, he had not fought for as long as he had to start bowing now.

"And this is my sister, Princess Luna." Luna nodded back to him. He felt that she probably worked with this nation's military more than Celestia. She seemed to be at ease with him in the room, so he figured that they already knew what he was. At least to some degree.

"You would be?" Celestia asked. While her tone did not convey her annoyance, he could tell she had expected him to respond right away. However, he wasn't sure if it was annoyance at that, or some other agitation that was at work. Still, he reprimanded himself. He needed to be polite to get away from here; else they would likely catch on to him.

"West will do." He hoped that would placate on the matter for the time being. He didn't like being cryptic, but as of late it was the only way he could survive.

"What branch of the Solar military are you from?" Luna asked, confirming his suspicions about her familiarity with military matters.

"I didn't fight for the Solar Empire." His response was serious, but not threatening.

"I thought the Discordians preferred machines." Luna replied, causing West to smirk.

"They did. I fought for the Lunar Republic." The looks of surprise on everyone's faces lighten his mood a bit, though the guards moving up to defend their princesses killed his mood a bit. West did not react to their actions, nor did he even acknowledge their movement or presence. Celestia stopped them from doing anything further, her look more serious now.

"Why are you here?" While her voice was still kind, West could tell it was more commanding than before.

"Traveling. Figured I would get out and about before the Empire catches me." His response was level, and failed to betray his inner thoughts, obviously disappointing Celestia. However, he could tell she was still gaining something from his response, and that boosted his respect for her.

"Do you mean to harm the ponies that live here in Equestria?" Her question was sternly stated, but West could tell she already knew the answer. If things had been different, he would've liked to see her in a poker game.

"Unless you join the Solar Empire, I have no interest in hurting any of your people." There was a long pause, the silence thickening the tension. However, both West and Celestia seemed at ease. Both were contemplating the other's possible actions, and both had a slight smirk.

"I see. However, if you do decide to cause trouble, I will find you." Celestia stated. West knew that she wouldn't cause him any trouble unless he started it, and he nodded in response. The room grew quiet again, though it was not a tense silence as much as the ponies trying to think of what to say next. The guards had relaxed, and returned to their positions by the door.

"Hey, what's with the thing around your neck?" The blue pegasus from the night before spoke up.

"These?" West pulled out his dog tags, though he made sure to keep the pendant hidden behind them. He had two. The first one was simple, a black silver piece of metal with a crescent moon etched into it. The second one was more complex, as it had his name, rank, and company. While everyone was interested in them, both Luna and the blue pegasus seemed to edge a little closer. West understood why Luna would be interested, as he had been briefed on her conflict with her sister. However, he did not know why the pegasus was interested. She reached out and moved the tags over revealing the pendant, causing them to gasp.

"Why do you have this?" She asked, and Luna nodded in agreement.

"And where did you get it?" West raised an eyebrow, and looked at them.

"I found it." In truth, it probably had found him, but he figured that it wasn't the most important detail at the moment. Unfortunately, neither Luna nor the pegasus seemed satisfied with that answer. "Why does it matter?"

"That appears to be the element of Loyalty. As far as we were informed, humanity only had five elements." Luna stated.

"Right…well I wouldn't buy into everything the Solar Empire says. I mean, I'm willing to accept that magic exists, and maybe the whole connection between various magics and the sun and moon. But the power of harmony?" In reality, he both understood and believed in the power of the elements. However, if he played the 'ignorant' human he would be able to see how much they knew of the elements. He noticed that the orange pony was whispering something into the purple unicorn's ear, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

"How can you not believe in the elements? They led the Solar Empire to victory…" She trailed off as she realized what she had just said. West didn't let himself get angry at her, seeing how it wasn't her fault that the Empire had won. Regardless, his body tensed a bit. The pegasus started to apologize, but West shook his head.

"It's fine." His response was flat, but it wasn't threatening. "So I take it that is this important?"

"Well duh." The pegasus rolled her eyes, causing West to smile a bit.

"Well, what is it then?" He knew what it was, and what it meant. He had used the information about the element of Loyalty to rally his forces, and help turn the tide during the War.

"Sugar cube, you know exactly what it is." The orange pony spoke. She had seen through his deception, meaning that that she was likely the element of Honesty, or closely tied to it. He cursed mentally, and decided he would need to move to half-truths, hoping it would throw her off somewhat.

"Fair enough. Still doesn't tell me why it's important to you though." That was the truth. After the war, the elements had become figure heads for the Solar Empire, little more than political puppets that boosted morale. Though, if the Empire ever got all six elements…

"But you're the Element of Loyalty!" The blue pegasus spoke up.

"And? That hasn't exactly been helpful. The Solar Empire hasn't stopped hunting me, and I doubt that they are ever going to." Luna looked confused.

"If you're an Element, why didn't you join the Empire?"

West thought about this. It was true, any sane soul would have sided with the Empire. But he had been a citizen of the States, and then a defender of the Republic after the states fell. While his life had not been easy, he knew he would have chosen the same side again despite what he knew now.

"The Empire seemed like the wrong course. Besides, siding with them would mean betraying my home and that wasn't going to happen."

His statement seemed to strike a chord with both Luna and the blue pegasus. They both seemed to understand his sentiment, and relaxed.

"There is still the matter of your assailant." The purple unicorn stepped forward as she spoke up.

"Agreed. I should get moving. Staying in one location probably isn't a good idea." West replied.

"NO!" Luna protested, louder than she had meant to. "I mean, no, it would be unwise."

West was confused by their concern for him, but he did not know how he could solve his confusion. Why would they care about some random human? He mentally shrugged the question away, deciding that it did not matter right now.

"It will find me, and it will break anything in its path. I would rather have it attack me alone, out in the wilderness, than have it hurt innocents." The statement was simple for West, just another fact that he had come to accept in his life. He had spent a long time running, from the Empire, from that Monster, and himself. The ghosts of those who he had failed to save fought for his attention, but he kept his focus on the conversation at hand.

"How do you know that?" Luna inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"That was not my first tangle with the Nightmare, and it likely will not be my last." West replied coolly. His smiled again at their surprised.

"It would seem that you know a lot more than you originally lead us to believe," Celestia began," and the fact that you are not taking it seriously worries me. The Nightmare is dangerous, and corruptive."

"How are you so casual about it? About the things it can do?" Luna asked, her voice trailing off.

"You think I should be afraid that it can make my life a living hell?" West replied, and saw that they all nodded. "It already is." They noticed how ragged he looked.

They had fallen silent, but Luna broke the silence quickly.

"So, what are your plans now?"

West shrugged. "Not sure. Now that the Nightmare has my trail again, figured I'd head out north, face it out there. With any luck, I might be able to get far enough north that it can't make it back. Don't think I'll survive, but I'm certain I can take the bastard with me."

"How can you hold your life with so little value?" Celestia asked. "From what I have been told of the Republic, you held life in high regard."

"Exactly. The sooner I die, the sooner the kill orders stop."

"Kill orders?" Celestia asked her face painted with concern.

"Due to certain parts of the States still holding out, and the massive number of militias taking up arms, the Empire decided to start killing any surviving troopers, thus ending any real threat to their conquest. The rarely show any form of mercy, and more often than naught take join from causing excessive amounts of collateral damage." West had a grim voice at this point and he looked haunted by something.

Celestia nodded, understanding the facts.

"I see. I will have to talk to the Empire after this. However, in the mean time I will make sure you are not hunted by the empire. We have dealt with the Nightmare before, so it would be wise if you stayed here." West got the distinct feeling that Celestia was not going to take no for answer here, so he nodded. Something felt wrong in his mind, like someone was telling him to relax in his mind. He couldn't place the source of the voice, but he knew it was there. He cleared his mind, deciding that it wasn't something he could focus on now. He noticed that both Luna and the blue pegasus were picking up on his emotions. He wasn't sure how they were doing so, but he chalked it up to just another mystery he couldn't solve.

"Very well. I'll stay." He didn't add the rest of his thoughts, however. He would stay, but only as long as it didn't threaten these kind souls anymore that his presence already did. The ponies in the room lightened up, and they led him out of the room and down the hallway.


End file.
